This invention relates to a connector having an elastic retaining piece portion for retaining a terminal received in a terminal receiving chamber of a connector housing.
FIG. 4 and FIGS. 5 and 6 show known related connectors of the type described, respectively (see, for example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2).
In the connector 101 shown in FIG. 4, a terminal receiving chamber 103 is formed in a synthetic resin-made connector housing 102, and extends from a central portion thereof to a rear end thereof. An elastic retaining piece portion 105 is formed in a cantilever manner within the terminal receiving chamber 103, and extends obliquely forwardly from an upper wall portion 102a of the connector housing 102.
When a terminal 108, connected to a wire 107, is inserted through a terminal insertion port 104 (formed in the rear end of the terminal receiving chamber 103) into the terminal receiving chamber 103, and is received therein, a free end (retaining portion) 106 of the elastic retaining piece portion 105 is retainingly engaged with a retaining engagement portion 109 of the terminal 108 to prevent the terminal 108 from withdrawal.
In the connector 201 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a terminal receiving chamber 202a is formed in a synthetic resin-made connector housing 202, and a terminal 203, formed by pressing an electrically-conductive metal sheet, is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 202a through a rear opening thereof. The connector housing 202 has an elastic retaining piece portion 204 for retaining the terminal 203, received in the terminal receiving chamber 202a, to prevent the terminal 203 from withdrawal.
The terminal 203 includes an electrical contact portion 205 of a rectangular tubular shape into which a mating terminal (not shown) can be inserted to be electrically connected thereto, and a wire connection portion 206 which is provided at a rear side of the electrical contact portion 205, and can be electrically connected to a wire (not shown). A convex portion 207a is formed on an upper surface of a front end portion of the electrical contact portion 205.
A vertical retaining portion 207b is formed at a front end surface of the elastic retaining piece portion 204, and a rear end of the convex portion 207a of the terminal 203, received in the terminal receiving chamber 202a, abuts against this retaining portion 207b. A jig receiving portion 209b is also formed at the front end surface of the elastic retaining piece portion 204, and a jig can be brought into abutting engagement with this jig receiving portion 209b so as to cancel the retaining engagement of the elastic retaining piece portion with the terminal. The retaining portion 207b and the jig receiving portion 209b are disposed adjacent to each other in a direction of the width of the elastic retaining piece portion 204.
When the terminal 203 is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 202a through the rear opening thereof, the terminal 203 advances within the terminal receiving chamber 202a while the convex portion 207a of the terminal 203 elastically deforms the elastic retaining piece portion 204 in a manner to displace the front end portion of this elastic retaining piece portion 204 upwardly. Then, when the front end of the terminal 203 is brought into abutting engagement with a front wall of the terminal receiving chamber 202a, the convex portion 207a of the terminal 203 slides past the elastic retaining piece portion 204, so that the elastic retaining piece portion 204 is restored into its original position. As a result, the retaining portion 207b of the elastic retaining piece portion 204 is retainingly engaged with the rear end of the convex portion 207a of the terminal 203, thereby preventing the terminal 203 from rearward withdrawal. For canceling the retaining engagement of the elastic retaining piece portion 204 with the terminal 203, the jig 209a is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 202a from the front side, and is brought into abutting engagement with the slanting jig receiving portion 209b, and elastically deforms the elastic retaining piece portion 204 in a manner to displace the front end portion thereof upwardly, thereby canceling the retaining of the terminal 203 by the elastic retaining piece portion 204.                [Patent Literature 1] JP-A-61-218081        [Patent Literature 2] JP-A-2002-313472        
In each of the above related connectors 101 and 201, however, the metal-made terminals 103, 203 (the convex portion 207a) abuts against the retaining portions 106, 207b of the synthetic resin-made elastic retaining piece portions 105, 204, and therefore there is a fear that the retaining portions 106, 207b are worn, so that the force of retaining of the terminals 103, 203 by the elastic retaining piece portions 105, 204 is lowered.
And besides, when the terminals are arranged at a small pitch in order to meet a requirement of a compact design of recent connectors, the elastic retaining piece portions 105, 204 become narrow, and therefore there is a fear that the strength of the elastic retaining piece portions 105, 204 is lowered. For example, in the related connector 101, the elastic retaining piece portion 105 is liable to be buckled as shown in FIG. 7, and therefore there is a fear that the force of retaining of the terminals 103, 203 by the elastic retaining piece portions 105, 204 is lowered.
Therefore, in the related connector 201, a pair of projecting portions 208b are formed on and project laterally outwardly respectively from the opposite side surfaces of the elastic retaining piece portion 204 (as shown in FIG. 6) in order to enhance the force of retaining of the terminal 203 by the elastic retaining piece portion 204. The pair of projecting portions 208b retain engagement portions 208a, formed at the rear end of the electrical contact portion 205, respectively, thereby preventing the rearward withdrawal of the terminal 203 in a double manner. However, as a result of formation of the projecting portions 208b, the width of the elastic retaining piece portion 204 increases, and therefore there has been a fear that the achievement of a compact design of the connector 201 is adversely affected.
And besides, when the connector is formed into a compact design, the jig 209a for canceling the retaining engagement of the elastic retaining piece portion 204 with the terminal 203 also becomes narrow, and therefore there has been a fear that the jig 209a fails to be positively engaged with (or abut against) the jig receiving portion 209b defined by a flat surface.